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Palgrave Macmillan

It Takes More Than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee

Building a Business Culture That Works for Everyone

  • Book
  • © 2015

Overview

  • From her work with John Chambers to Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, and Jim Collins, Diane Adams has built a reputation as the go-to resource for organizations that want to build strong—and lasting—cultures
  • The author is a regular speak at conferences and commentator on the issues

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Introduction

  2. Values Matter

  3. Creating the WOW Factor

  4. Being Intentional

Keywords

About this book

Culture is a game changer. In It Takes More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee , Adams includes stories and practical advice as well as related exercises and assessments to help you identify company and personal strengths and weaknesses. This book is your front-row seat to building and perpetuating a successful culture in any business.

Reviews

Shortlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year Arward - "The Communter's Read" category

Praise for It Takes More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee

'Diane is the best at building great cultures. Time and again, she's taught leaders how to build great cultures, one of the most important jobs of a leader.' - John T. Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco Systems, Inc.

'Happy employees plus happy customers equals happy financials. I am the strongest believer in motivating people and involving them in decision-making. People like to be somewhere they can grow as individuals, both professionally and personally. Diane's knowledge of talent and culture shines through in her approach and ideas, and also shines a light on the customer focus, leadership development, and employee engagement needed to build high-growth organizations for competitive advantage.' - Lars Bjork, CEO Qlik

'Build an organization where everyone is at their best and you will create the ultimate competitive advantage. And there is no one better to teach us than Diane . . . not only is she thebest at building cultures of success, but she'll make it fun along the way.' - Glen Tullman, CEO of Livongo Health, Managing Partner of 7wire Ventures, Executive Chairman of Argo Tea

'As Diane spells out so well in More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee, culture is a competitive differentiator. In a world of highly disruptive change, companies are recognizing the need to drive new skills and new ways of working to enable growth. Core to success in these efforts is a vibrant, diverse, and adaptive culture.' - Deborah Hopkins, Chief Innovations Officer of Citi, CEO of Citi Ventures

'At High Point University, we've been extremely successful in creating a positive environment to help each of our students achieve his or her extraordinary potential. As Diane so aptly shows us, taking the same approach in the workplace pays off for a business and its people, too.' - Nido Qubein, PhD, President of High Point University, High Point, North Carolina, Chairman of Great HarvestBread Co., motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and author.

'Diane Adams is a magician when it comes to transforming culture in companies. She recognizes that to preserve the value in mergers large and small the billions or millions spent will only lead to a successful outcome if the cultures of the entire enterprise are aligned. Values matter as It Takes More Than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee clearly illustrates.'- Lee Shapiro, Managing Partner of 7wire Ventures

'Diane knows well that our people make the difference. That's why creating a culture that values its team members and their contributions is so important to personal and company success. With It Takes More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee, Diane clearly and simply spells out how you, too, can create that kind of a positive values-based culture in your organization.' - Michael A. Nemeroff, President and CEO of Chicago-based Vedder Price, a global legal firm

'In today's business environment, emphasis on culture is the most important part of creating a successful and sustainable business. Diane Adams is one of those rare individuals who truly connects with that. More than ever before, employees care about being a part of something much more meaningful than only their compensation. They want to connect with a set of values and ideals that make them better people. Culture creates that platform to evolve and grow every aspect of a business.' - Sepideh Saidi, Founder and President of SEPI Engineering Group, one of the most successful engineering firms in North Carolina

'The world is changing so rapidly, so quickly, and in so many ways. Priority number 1 for any company has to be to have the right culture in place to take on the challenges today. The right culture is one that says, 'We're in this together.' This is Diane's specialty building cultures and companies where everyone is motivated and driving towards a common goal.' - Brad Wilson, CEO of Blue CrossBlue Shield of North Carolina

'Diane Adams is THE expert when it comes to getting culture right in your company.' - Stedman Graham, leadership expert, motivational speaker, and New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author

About the author

Diane Adams is Chief People Officer at Qlik.

Bibliographic Information

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